Boot Camp for Journalists

A rigorous reporting and writing class that will transform your portfolio

Course is closed.
Boot Camp for Journalists

DURATION/TIME
8 weeks
Tuesdays
September 19 - November 7
7-10 pm

LEVEL
Intermediate

LOCATION
New York (Soho)

PRICE
$499 ($475 for )
more info

Course Details

Congratulations! You've got a clip or two -- now you want more, in bigger, better publications, with bigger, better paychecks. You're ready for Boot Camp for Journalists.

 

Each week, you'll push yourself to research, write, and pitch a new piece. Classes will begin with your instructor's lectures, but will primarily be devoted to workshopping student writing. Lecture notes, handouts, reporting and writing tips, and examples will guide you outside class. By the end of eight weeks, you'll have a new portfolio of work and a new set of skills.

 

Assignments include a service/how-to piece, an arts and culture review, a profile, a metro section piece, an editorial, a business/news article, a personal essay, and two pitch letters.

In this class, you can expect to learn:
    • How to write a pitch an editor can't turn down
    • Which magazines are most freelancer friendly
    • How to edit yourself and manage tight deadlines
    • How to work with editors so they'll want to work with you
By the end of class, students can expect to have:
A complete portfolio of 7 publishable articles that will impress any editor, the ability to work under tight deadlines, and the know-how to create the career you want.

Admission requirements:
Students must have at least one published article. Please submit a letter of interest (including a brief work history), and a writing sample (less than 2,000 words).

Instructor Bio

Tom Zoellner's Courses

No courses available at this time.

Tom Zoellner
Tom Zoellner is a contributing editor for Men's Health magazine. During a twelve-year career in newspapers, he worked as a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, The Arizona Republic, and The Salt Lake Tribune and won numerous awards for his investigative stories. He is the author of The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit and Desire (http://www.heartlessstone.com), and co-author of An Ordinary Man, the autobiography of Paul Rusesabagina, whose actions during the 1994 Rwandan genocide were portrayed in the movie Hotel Rwanda.

Testimonials


Tom offers excellent guidance on both structure and craft. If you have a longform story you've been itching to write, he will make sure you do it -- and do it well. -- Nadine Rubin, contributing editor, Harper's Bazaar and mediabistro.com instructor

"Following Tom's seminar, I was able to go back to the newsroom and start applying what I had learned the night before. I left the seminar energized and excited about journalism." -- Joshua Fisher, editor of The Lewisboro (N.Y.) Ledge

AvantGuild* Discounts on mediabistro.com courses are just one of the wonderful benefits of being in AvantGuild, our premium membership program. For just $59 a year, you'll receive instant access to our How to Pitch articles and other premium articles, transcripts from selected seminars and panels, and discounts on virtually everything we do (including eClasses and the Freelance Marketplace)! Click here to join now.